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Why You Need to Switch to the NBN

Source: finder.com.au

Archived 3 Nov 2018 - Posted: 4 Sep 2018

The National Broadband Network (NBN) has prompted national conversations over the last few years, and much of the time the view has been negative. It was heralded as a revolutionary high-speed Internet service before being labelled as a political disaster and repurposed to use much of the existing phone network. This backflip, combined with lots of technical jargon like hybrid fibre-coaxial, CVC and POIs, has left many Aussies feeling confused and frustrated.

With over seven million homes and businesses now able to connect to the NBN, it’s important that you’re ready to make this switch. To make things crystal clear, we’ve spelt out some NBN home truths for you.

Australians don’t have a choice

The NBN is replacing most of Australia’s existing telecommunications network. This means that you have to move your home phone and Internet services over to the NBN, or you’ll be left with no reliable way to stream Netflix, check your emails or get online to do research. With many of us relying on the Internet every day, not just for social purposes, but also for work and medical reasons, it’s important to not be left in the dark.

However, new research from finder.com.au found that 10% of Aussies are still planning to not connect to the NBN, even though there won't be any other alternative for wired, high-speed broadband. So it seems a lot of us still don’t realise that we’ll be left living in the Stone Age if we don’t make the switch! Once the NBN has been rolled out in your area, you’ll have 18 months to switch over your services – after this, your existing landline and broadband connections will stop working.

The switch to NBN won’t happen automatically

Although switching to an NBN service isn’t a choice, we still have to do a few things to make it happen. Once your home is ready to be connected to the NBN, you’ll need to choose an NBN plan from an Internet Service Provider (ISP) and ask them to organise your connection. They'll arrange for an NBN technician to pay your home a visit to complete the installation.

Different NBN technologies are being rolled out in different areas and this can affect the type of connection that you need to set up in your home. Whatever the technology type, you'll generally need a new NBN-compatible router (your ISP can supply this). Once your NBN installation is complete, don't forget to cancel your old phone and Internet services since this won’t happen automatically. This is particularly important if you're changing providers.

Compare and switch providers to get the best deal

Since switching to the NBN is inevitable, you may as well turn this into an opportunity to make sure you’re getting the best phone and Internet deal. Research from finder.com.au has shown that Australians could be saving up to $500 every year on their Internet services, but only 20% of us actually change providers when connecting to the NBN. Although it might seem easier to stay with the same provider, your wallet will thank you for making the effort to switch.

If you’re still paying for a landline phone connection that you no longer use, or you’re not on an unlimited data plan, then there’s a good chance you’re paying too much and could find a better NBN plan. When you’re comparing, keep an eye on the typical evening connection speed offered and the amount of data you get.

Now that we’re all on the same page about what's happening with the NBN, you can start getting ready to make the switch – just don’t leave it to the last minute!

Bessie Hassan is the Money Expert at finder.com.au, the site that compares virtually everything